Keeping the End in Mind

Hello Fellow AU Parents.

Here in the Alumni Office we like to say that we begin our relationship with students by keeping the end in mind . . . meaning that from the very beginning, students are not only our AU students, but they're also our future alumni. We strive to not only enhance their AU experience now, but to lay the foundation for our future relationship with them as well, once they are graduates of Anderson University. We work to connect with them and to help them connect with AU alumni.

As parents, we're also always keeping the end in mind (aren't we?) . . . doing all we can to help our children move successfully into the career phase of their lives. Every parent wants their child to find a fulfilling career path that makes them happy (and hopefully self-sustaining). Choosing and declaring a major is a big part of moving toward that success, although that major might be changed multiple times. (That's okay . . . students who change their major one or more times still usually land in the right place.) If you'd like to help your student through this process be sure to read the Parent Resource section.

I'm also including the link to read about a recent graduate who has found a fulfilling and successful career: http://anderso.nu/QLLdHL. We have many, many stories like this, and you may have seen some in past Alumni e-newsletters. It encourages me to know that so many faculty and staff members here at AU are keeping the end in mind.

The Communication Department at Anderson University offers students unparalleled preparation for careers in journalism, audio/video/cinema production, public relations, speech communication, and teaching opportunities in language arts. Not only does the Communications Department at AU give students a superior academic learning environment in the classroom, but like many departments at AU, offers unique hands-on experience in their field of interest. Students have access to outstanding professional opportunities through Covenant Productions, WQME 98.7 FM, Fifth Street Communications, and the Andersonian. Students work side-by-side with faculty who are award-winning professionals in their fields, and in the process become skilled practitioners in the art of story-telling.

When a student goes to the Career Development office with questions about which major is best for him or her, the staff most often has that student complete Career Exploration Assessments. This takes less than an hour for the vast majority of students and includes ten short inventories in which students self-reveal the following information:

Career and educational goals

Academic strengths

Work experience and accomplishments

Career planning status

Personal development needs (skill-wise)

Work interests

Personality

Skills

Values

Leisure interests

The Career Development staff helps students narrow in on an occupational interest prior to selecting a specific major because, for most occupations, there are multiple majors that can lead to any given career option. According to Laurie Judge, Director of Career Development, it's much harder for a student who is struggling to complete a degree in a specific major to then try to determine what type of career (and specific job) to move into with that major (sort of putting the cart before the horse). Research shows (as well as does a certain degree of common sense) students who are actively engaged in their program of study are much more likely to stay with it and graduate.